in the arms of an angel, may you find some comfort here

[thehighestwing]

[[ooc: you can totally treat this as a party post. if you see someone you know and want to go up to them, threadhop at your leisure!]]Chicago, the break is not stopping. There have been a string of losses and they've been keenly felt throughout the city. There are ghosts on everyone's faces and soon enough they'll overpower them unless something is

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[doyoulikecake]

Kaden's out in the park; he has a couple hours between classes, and doing work inside is getting more and more difficult. He saw Phoebe's note in the journals, but one wouldn't know it by watching him as he wanders through the park. For all they know, he's out enjoying the weather -- and if they know him well, they'll know he's trying to stay awake by enjoying the weather.

He's also keeping himself awake with coffee, like usual. And keeping himself calmer with a cigarette, at the moment, even if he doesn't particularly like them much. They just help the itching in his shoulderblades stay at bearable levels.

He stops in front of Phoebe's chair, giving her sign a headtilt as he reads it. He's completely serious as he does, but his expression looks like it could break out into a smile at any moment anyway. "A noble endeavor," he says.

[thehighestwing]

Yay! Someone stopped by. Phoebe was kind of worried no one would, even though she can't blame anyone for not wanting to. It is a kind of weird thing to ask over the journals, and some people want to be left alone when they're in pain but she's Phoebe.

She can't not ask and do things the way she'd do them.

Phoebe manages to crack a smile. It's tiny, threatening to dissolve despite the brave attempt to hold it in place. "Thank ye," she says, standing up from the armchair. "I kind of fail at doing anything else. Besides, sometimes a hug makes everything a little bit better. Kind of like an emotional Heimlich!"

She's proud for knowing that word. It's a big word.

[doyoulikecake]

Kaden smiles back, keeping it as nice as possible -- which is pretty nice, all-told. Probably the only ones who'd be able to tell he was faking it would be his family, and they aren't here at the moment. One of those he's eminently grateful isn't here; he was half expecting to see Molly at a gathering of people like this.

"That's an interesting way of putting it," he says. "I suppose you'd have to have pretty powerful hugs, then, wouldn't you?"

He wanders closer, taking another drag on the cigarette and then another sip of the coffee -- the coffee is kind of like a weird chaser for the taste of the cigarette -- and leaning on the arm of her chair. "And I wouldn't say that emotional caretaking of strangers is a small endeavor, by the way." He certainly fails at it; hell, he fails at taking care of those who aren't strangers.

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe isn't the most perceptive person. Even if there were glaring signs, it's entirely possible she wouldn't pick up on them. It has more to do with the short attention span than the naivete, though.

She giggles a little, shaking her head. "Hey, man. Angel strength can help me with that!"

It's a pretty lame joke, but she's not in the best frame of mind.

"You're not missing anybody, are you?" Phoebe asks with wide-eyed concern.

[touchme_n_die]

Rogue, originally, didn't want to come out. She'd seen Phoebe's journal entry and she'd thought it was sweet and clever and really wonderful. Folks have taken quite the hit lately, and it was just like the other gal to come up with something to lift folks' spirits.

It's really not something she can participate in, but...

She'll be damned if she doesn't support her friend's efforts. That's what being a friend is about, right? And, it's part of being a community, too, she reckons. True, this community seems to be kinda violent and wild and all, but she's mostly accustomed to that.

So, before going to the park, Rogue stops by the corner store and picks up several of bags of candy.

When she reaches the park, she calls out Phoebe's name and a "Think fast" before tossing the girl a bag of Hershey's Kisses and Hugs.

She nods toward the sign. "I like your idea, Phoebe." She really really does.

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe had thought of Rogue when writing down that entry. She had thought of what Rogue confided in her, felt terribly sad for a moment, and then found what solution she could. She has the green blanket at the ready, the one Rogue once covered her in so she could hug her.

Phoebe grins at the sight of her good friend, catching the bag and walking up to the other girl. "Thanks! It seemed kind of lame when I was writing it but...I know a lot of people are gonna need support."

So many disappeared. So many were taken. Some were even killed. That's how Chicago works, in a way.

Right now is not the time to think about it. It's the time to be with people and try to make it a little bit better for them.

"Are you and your peeps good?"

Which is to say, please don't tell me someone you love disappeared, too.

[touchme_n_die]

Rogue spots that blanket and it makes her need to clear her throat a bit before she speaks. She doesn't think there's a darn thing about the journal entry or the idea, itself, that's lame.

She thinks it's one of those loving things that folks like Phoebe just can do and that the world should be grateful for.

Not everyone would've thought of this.

'Are you and your peeps good?'

Rogue thinks of Wes and Danny and nods, grateful she's able to say yes. "Well, now that I can see you, I can say f'sure that yeah, my peeps are good." You're totally one of Rogue's 'peeps', Phoebe.

The question is slightly hesitant, but the concern is genuine. "What about you? You doin' okay?"

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe laughs a little. It doesn't sound as loud as her usual laugh is, but all things considered it's a surprise she's laughing, period.

Her own throat clogs for a bit when Rogue calls Phoebe one of her own. Rogue is one of Phoebe's own so this works out perfectly.

Her smile widens a fraction, and it's sincere, even if it hurts.

"I'm okay," she admits. "Worried about everyone else. Worried about Xander, mostly."

Okay, so she's worried about everyone but Xander's the one making her flail in her head because he lost Buffy, Tay, and Willow in one fell swoop.

[apennyworth]

Alfred Pennyworth thinks that Phoebe Donovan is a very bright and thoughtful young lady.

He is more than pleased to come out to her 'Hug Day', though he plans on offering support in the means of a smile and a thoughtful pat on the head back.

Alfred was unsuccessful in persuading Master Bruce to join him in meeting everyone at the park. He feels it is important, however, to come out, and so he has.

"Miss Donovan," he says with a smile, "what a pleasure it is to see you again."

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe is going to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of Alfred Pennyworth.

She thinks of him often, the way he tends to the kitchen at the Conrad and the way he always listens to her even if she sounds insane half the time.

Alfred may only give her a thoughtful pat, but Phoebe's gonna wrap her arms around Alfred's waist and hug him tightly.

"I'm real glad you're still here, Mr. Pennyworth," she whispers, and she is. She really, really is.

[apennyworth]

Alfred listens to Phoebe because he thinks she is interesting and friendly, and because he values her thoughts and her friendship.

When she wraps her arms around his waist, he does the only thing he can do. Alfred hugs her back, much as he's done with Bruce, when he was a child, and Rachel. It's a simple thing, to offer comfort and love, and it's an important thing. It's comfort and it's support.

She's welcome to hold on as long as she likes.

"I'm very glad we both are," he says quietly. He is very happy that Phoebe is all right. He's happy so many that he cares about are all right. His heart aches for those lost, but he can find joy in those that remain. "It may not be my place to say so," he says, quieter still, "but I am very proud of you. You've done a wonderful thing today for everyone."

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe is trying really hard not to cry even if they wouldn't be the bad kind of tears. It just means a lot to hear someone say they're proud of her, and she can't remember the last time someone did.

Hugging him a little tighter to her before releasing him, Phoebe lets out a laugh and wipes at her cheeks.

"I think if anyone would have a place it would be you, Mr. Pennyworth. Are you and your loved ones okay?"

She chews her bottom lip. He seems fine so she is assuming they are. She can't really bear the thought of so much loss.

[nowinprint]

Dmitri had much the same idea as Rogue, though with a Chicao (somewhat-) Native Twist. To that end, she's gone and found one of the veteran baristas from The Coffee Shop to come out with a coffee cart or two, and the two of them trundle up to Phoebe's chair with grins, one bemused and one with that mostly-unshakeable Dmitri confidence. The barista unfurls a banner reading

PROMOTIONAL EVENT - TODAY ONLY!
FREE COFFEE
FREE HOT CHOCOLATE
FREE ITALIAN SODA

~THE COFFEE SHOP~

and Dmitri steps around her station to offer a hug.

"Good old Chicago," she says. Actually, it sounds a little fond.

[thehighestwing]

She might have been hopeful enough to expect a few people to show up. She did not expect The Coffee Shop to come to them coaxed by Chicago's very own offbeat journalist and resident AoK.

Phoebe hugs Dmitri giddily, staring at the coffee carts in utter fascination.

The coffee beckons others that are passing by, and soon enough there's a respectable line forming.

Phoebe turns to the woman, her mouth shaped into a perfect O.

"You are a goddess," she proclaims.

[nowinprint]

Dmitri hugs back. Even without her angelic strength, the girl's got a grip, and she breaks it out here.

Yes. The cling is something she needs, right now. A lot of good, old friends just vanished on her, and while goddamnit she is going to handle this like a Chicagoan, nothing says Chicagoans can't cling. Chicagoans get to cling all the harder.

When she does break away, she plants herself between the coffee cart and the chair, ready to hug. "Minor deity at best," she says, flashing Phoebe a grin. "Possibly a patron saint. Possibly the Patron Saint of Coffee Carts, Wanderer Solidarity, and Not Falling Off Ledges."

The barista glances up at that, shaking her head. "I keep wanting to say she's the weirdest person I've ever known, but I live in Chicago," she says.

[thehighestwing]

It's the damnedest thing, being held by a stranger and feeling the comfort nestle into her chest.

Phoebe kind of remembers what it was like to hug her mother. It's a distant memory, a fading lullaby, and she hates she can't remember as well.

Her eyes sting, but only for a moment. Then it's gone, and the moment becomes another one.

"Have you ever considered making that a t-shirt?" Phoebe asks, following Dimitri to the cart. "Because it'd look pretty nifty."

Phoebe looks over to the barista and grins. "I think you're just jealous."

[yourwonderings]

[[ooc: I... wanted to add some of my characters in here. EVEN IF THEY AREN'T HUGGING TYPES, GAWD KIDS. ><]]

Jo hadn't read the journal entry. She hasn't read any of the journal entries because no one's really told her about the journal network and so she hasn't noticed her own.

She knew some shit was going down because it was blatantly obvious and she's not a dense cookie. All one had to do was walk out the street and see the heavy warring ghosts people wore on their faces.

She's seen that kind of look before, even if the situations have been different. It makes her throat clog in an unpleasant way, though something about everyone rallying up together--even if it's for something like a hug--is something Jo can respect.

Right now she's just gonna...stare at the sign. And stare some more.

[stillaboyscout]

Vaughn's doing something similar--gaping. And then sort of looking around to see what's going on. And then more gaping.

He's been in Chicago a long time. In theory, he'd be used to something like this. In theory, he'd have checked his whole journal, not just the first entry or so, and seen what the heck was going on. But maybe he's just come to expect the worst from Chicago.

He looks around again and sees Jo. And points.

"Is this for real?" he asks. Just to make sure.

[yourwonderings]

Jo looks over at him, closing a bit of the distance between them. There are also coffee carts now to accompany the armchair and the big glittering sign that one Phoebe Donovan made by her lonesome.

"Looks like it," Jo answers, sticking her hands in her pockets. "As for the why or how of it, not a clue. I just got here."

Well, it's been a few weeks but still.

Surprisingly, it's felt a lot longer than that. Oh, Chicago, how you break them.

[stillaboyscout]

"Oh." Vaughn nods. "I see. Well. At least I'm not hallucinating." This is almost for his own sake rather than an attempt to reassure her. Because you really never know in Chicago.

He eyes the coffee, and then glances once again at Jo. "What do you think the odds are that the coffee is poisoned?" he asks, before realizing that perhaps that is not the best way to hold a conversation.

"I'm sorry. Uh. When you meant you got 'here' did you mean here as in this very spot, or..." Because it totally matters. If she just got here as in this very spot, well, good luck escaping the nice men in the white coats, Vaughn. But if she got HERE as in Chicago, then he's safe because even when you've only been here a short while, you realize how crazyweirddangerous the city really is.